


Ear Ache of Love

by justspn



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Caring Bobby Singer, Life at Bobby's, Sick Dean Winchester, Sickfic, Weechesters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 04:51:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18328973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justspn/pseuds/justspn
Summary: Dean gets sick and Bobby shows him what love and care feel like.





	Ear Ache of Love

Dean breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Bobby's busted old pickup truck pull up in front of the school. He'd had a sore throat since 3rd period, and was getting light headed while he stood outside waiting for his ride. 

Once he was buckled into the front seat, Dean leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes. It was getting more difficult to ignore the ache in his throat, and he could tell that he was running a low grade fever by the way his head felt woozy. 

“How was school?” Bobby asked, driving across town to pick Sam up at the elementary school.

“It was fine,” Dean answered shortly, not feeling much like talking. 

Bobby let the silence linger until they were parked outside the little kid school. “When did ya start feelin sick?” Bobby could tell by Dean's demeanor that he wasn't feeling well. Pair that with how pale he'd been when he climbed into the truck, it didn't take Bobby long to figure out the kid was sick. 

“3rd period,” Dean answered. He shivered slightly and pulled his sweatshirt closer around himself. 

“I woulda come and picked you up,” Bobby said softly, reaching over to feel Dean's forehead with the back of his hand. 

“I didn't want to make a fuss,” Dean responded. He looked at all the kids waiting outside for their parents. Where the hell was Sam? 

“You have a fever,” Bobby stated. 

Dean didn't answer, but instead closed his eyes again. His ears were starting to ring and he felt a little nauseous. 

Bobby left him alone after that, taking note of how Dean's pale face was tinged with a slight green color around his mouth and eyes. Not a good sign. The Winchester boys didn't usually get sick, but when they did, they fell like rocks. This seemed to be no exception. 

Finally, Sam appeared with his teacher. Bobby got out of the truck and walked over to pick Sam up before buckling him into the middle of the bench seat of the truck. 

“Is Dean taking a nap?” Sam asked quietly. 

“Yeah, he's feeling sick. Let him rest, okay?” Bobby glanced down at Sam, who nodded in agreement after eyeing his older brother carefully. 

Halfway home, Dean jerked upright. “Pull over,” he said in a strained voice. 

Bobby stopped the truck on the side of the road and watched as Dean half jumped half fell out of the truck. He landed on his knees in a crawling position. 

Dean took several deep breaths, trying to quell the nausea he felt. After a few minutes, he stood up slowly and leaned against the bed of the truck. Once he was sure he wasn't going to vomit, he crawled back into the passenger seat and closed the door. 

“Okay?” Bobby asked, watching Dean with a concerned look. 

Dean nodded and pulled his feet up onto the seat, trying to make the uncomfortable cramps he had go away. 

Bobby sped home, hoping to avoid a vomit incident. When he stopped in front of his house, Dean jumped out and walked quickly inside, swaying slightly as he went. 

“Come on, Sam, let's go check on your brother,” Bobby said as he grabbed both Sam and Dean's backpacks. 

Inside, Dean was curled in a ball on the bathroom floor. He hadn't thrown up yet, but he was sure it would happen sooner rather than later. His whole body was shaking and his head felt full and heavy. His throat still ached and he thought maybe his fever had gone up because he felt like crying. Dean always cried when he had a fever, he wasn't sure why. It was just something that always happened. 

Bobby knocked softly on the bathroom door before peeking his head in. “How ya holding up?” he asked softly as he opened the medicine cabinet. He reached for the thermometer and handed it down to Dean, who reluctantly put it under his tongue. 

“Ain't feelin so hot, huh?” Bobby asked when the thermometer had read back Dean's temperature. 

Dean shook his head weakly and felt a few tears slip down his cheeks. 

Bobby felt his heart break at the sight of Dean crying, curled into a ball on the cold bathroom floor. “Let's get you up to bed, you'll feel better there.” 

Dean sat up slowly, afraid that the world would start spinning too quickly to stop. After a moment he grabbed onto Bobby's hand and stood on shaky legs. 

Bobby followed Dean up the stairs and into the room that he shared with Sam at the end of the hall. Once Dean had changed into a pair of sweats, he crawled into bed and closed his eyes. Bobby placed a trash can next to Dean's head and sat on the edge of the bed. “You think you can keep some medicine in ya? We gotta get your fever down.” Bobby shook a few Tylenol into his palm and offered them out to Dean. 

Reluctantly, Dean swallowed the pills and chased them down with some water. Now that he was in a bed he felt less shaky, which made his stomach feel more settled. 

“Ya need anything? I've got a bucket for you right here and I'm gonna go make you some tea.” Bobby stood up and looked down at Dean. 

“I'm okay, I just need to sleep,” Dean responded. 

Bobby smirked and ran his fingers through Dean's hair. “Okay. I'll be right back then.” 

XXXXX

Dean woke in the middle of the night to a sharp pain running down his ear canal. He waited for it to pass, but it kept on searing through his head in time with his heartbeat. After a minute, he decided that maybe a hot rice bag would make it feel better. Wrapping himself in a blanket, Dean quietly made his way downstairs. His head felt even more fuzzy than it had before, and his ears were ringing uncomfortably. He noticed that his throat was sore all over, but there was a particular sore spot near his aching ear. 

While he waited for his rice bag to heat up in the microwave, Dean decided that sitting on the kitchen floor would feel nice, because standing was making him feel even more exhausted than he was when he got home from school. He glanced at the timer counting down on the microwave. Only 30 more seconds. He could stand for 30 more seconds. 

It turns out, he could stand for 30 more seconds but by the time he'd gotten the rice bag out of the microwave his knees were buckling beneath him. He sunk to the floor, spreading his blanket out over him and clutching the rice bag to his ear. He was so tired, getting himself off the floor and up the stairs wasn't an option. He just needed a minute to rest. 

XXXXX

Bobby yawned as he walked into the kitchen, wishing he had a coffee pot that made coffee on a clock so that it was ready when he woke up. 

“For Christ's sake,” he said, noticing Dean asleep on the floor. “Dean, wake up.” Bobby shook Dean's shoulder and waited for the kid to orient himself. “Why the hell aren't you in bed?” Bobby barked once Dean was sitting up, leaning against the cupboards. 

“I needed a rice bag for my ear but fell asleep before I could go back upstairs,” Dean whispered, wincing at the change in elevation. 

Bobby felt Dean's forehead. He was burning up. “Come on, let's get you to the couch.” Bobby lifted most of Dean's weight up off the floor and half carried him over to the couch. 

Dean let out a strained groan when Bobby plopped him on the couch.

“You okay?” Bobby asked, hoping Dean wasn't about to throw up. 

“My ear is killing me,” Dean replied, cupping his left ear. Everything sounded muffled and his throat was hurting a lot where his eustachian tube connected to his throat. 

Bobby took the rice bag from Dean and stuck it in the microwave. While it was heating up he went and took Dean's temperature. “I'm gonna have to call the doctor I think,” Bobby said, watching the number continue to climb on the thermometer. 

Dean whined when Bobby took the thermometer out of his mouth. 

“Your fever is still really high and you probably have an ear infection. I can't fix that here. Sorry kiddo.” 

Dean slumped back on the couch with his newly heated rice bag and listened to Bobby talk to the doctor over the phone. 

When Bobby came into the living room from the kitchen, Sam was in tow, eyeing Dean cautiously. 

“We have to leave in about half an hour to get to town for your appointment, okay?” Bobby handed Dean a mug of tea and some tylenol before sitting in the armchair next to the couch. Sam crawled up onto the couch with Dean and turned on some cartoons while he ate breakfast. 

“Are you going to school Dean?” Sam asked, chewing his toast with his mouth wide open. 

“No,” Dean whispered. He wished that he could sleep forever and get away from the pain in his ear and throat. 

XXXXX 

After dropping Sam off at school, Bobby drove to the doctors office. A nurse took Dean into an examination room pretty quickly, but Bobby figured it was because the kid looked like death. He followed them into the room and sat in a chair in the corner. 

The nurse took Dean’s vitals and told him to relax until the doctor came in to see him. He laid back on the paper-covered bed and sighed. He really felt super terrible. He couldn’t remember a time he’d ever felt so terrible. Against his will, he felt a few tears slip onto his cheeks.  
“I wish I could make you feel better kiddo,” Bobby said quietly, standing up to go over to Dean’s bedside. He carded his fingers through Dean’s hair and wiped away his tears. Dean tried to give him a smile, but they both knew it was very forced and very fake. 

The doctor came in much faster than normal to check Dean out. After some antibiotics had been prescribed for his ear infection, Bobby helped Dean out to the truck and buckled him in. 

“I’ll run into the store and get this filled. You want anything?” Bobby asked as he parked at the grocery store.

“Popsicles?” Dean asked. 

“You got it. Be right back, okay?”

Dean nodded and leaned his head against the window. He closed his eyes and before he knew it, Bobby was back in the truck. 

“I gotcha some popsicles and some of the cold medicine the doctor suggested, and a bag of those cough drops I know you can tolerate,” Bobby said as he placed the bag by Dean’s feet. 

“Thanks,” Dean whispered, his eyes still closed. He felt a swell of emotion run though his body, and before he knew it he was crying again. 

Bobby was alarmed that Dean was crying again. He usually never saw the kid cry, so twice in the span of an hour was very concerning. “What’s wrong?”

Dean sniffled, crying big, fat, ugly tears that made him drool a little. “I’m just so thankful for you and how you take care of Sammy and I.” Dean stopped to let out a sob. “Being cared for feels nice,” he said, trying to wipe his tears away. 

Bobby felt his heart swell. “Ah, you’re welcome kiddo. You two ain’t no trouble at all, you know you’re always welcome here with me,” Bobby said, keeping his voice from breaking, but only just barely. 

As Bobby drove away, towards home, he felt a sudden wave of rage towards John Winchester. What had he done in the past to make Dean so thankful for a caring household? How had he treated the boys while they were sick to make Dean feel like being taken care of and loved was a form of special treatment? 

Sighing as he pulled up to the house, Bobby reached over and pulled Dean into a hug before they got out of the truck. “You’re always welcome here, kiddo,” Bobby repeated as he gave Dean a squeeze. 

Dean’s eyes were still watering a little, but he gave Bobby a weak smile before heading inside.


End file.
